Sir David Wootton, 684th Lord Mayor of London (2011-12)

LORD MAYOR'S REFECTIONS 2014

Theme: “Reflections of a 2012 Lord Mayor: Jubilee, Olympics…and all that other stuff”

Sir David Wootton chose as his theme: “Reflections of a 2012 Lord Mayor: Jubilee, Olympics…and all that other stuff”. As Lord Mayor of the City of London from November 2011 to November 2012, David Wootton was the 684th person to hold office in an unbroken sequence going back to 1189.

David Wootton outlined the biggest element of the role as business: acting as ambassador in the UK and around the world for the City’s financial and related professional services, but also being an ambassador for London and the rest of the UK. He reminded his audience that the City is also a provider of education and a centre of culture – indeed, it is the largest promoter of the arts in the UK after the Arts Council and the BBC.

David described his experiences, front of house and behind the scenes, in a momentous year. It began with Occupy at St Paul’s, on the route of the Lord Mayor’s Show, celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major national and international events and took him to 27 countries on five continents in promotion of the City and of the UK.

He reflected on the complex relationships at play between various aspects of the City – business, civic, residential, cultural and educational. He also explored relationships between the City and Westminster and Whitehall, and its further ties with financial centres across the UK and internationally, taking into account its vital role in fields including charity and social investment.

In a lively and engaging account of a momentous year at a time of great global change, David drew on lessons from the past – recent and distant – and from current events before discussing some possible solutions and improvements to make the City what we want it to become in the 21st century.